


The Darken Curse

by NoxyHart



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Dark Gabriel (Supernatural), Death, M/M, Torture, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-19
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2019-11-24 20:23:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 15,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18169496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoxyHart/pseuds/NoxyHart
Summary: The Winchester Brothers are disturbed to find out that a high class demon had captured Gabriel. They manage to save him just in the nick of time and find out that the demon's intention was to use Gabriel as a vessel for his power all along. Now they are playing a highly dangerous game of keep away. The only question is did they really manage to save Gabriel in time? Or were they too late all along?





	1. The RIsing Threat

**_Chapter 1: The Rising Threat_ **

“Answer me!” Castiel snapped, slamming the demon against the metal crates, his eyes burning blue with his Grace. “Where did you get this blade?!”

Dean’s shocked eyes were staring at the blade that the demon had dropped. It wasn’t anything special, just a normal angel blade. Dean picked up the blade, still confused as to why it had upset his mate so badly. For some reason when Castiel had pulled the demon off Dean, the seraph had gone ballistic, grabbing the blade and all but ripping it from the demon’s hand. They had only seen him this angry before when someone he loved was threatened. Sam had a hand on Castiel’s shoulder, trying to diffuse the situation as best he could. 

“Cas calm down!” Sam said. “If you kill him then you won’t get the answers you’re looking for!”

The demon was cowering and whimpering under the fury of the angel. “Please don’t kill me! I’ll tell you whatever you want to know!”

“Where did you get that angel blade?!” Castiel snapped again. “Did you find it? Did you steal it? TELL ME!”

“I took it from the angel my master has as his prisoner!” The demon said quickly, trying to cower even further down.

“WHERE?!”

Dean pulled Castiel away and rubbed a gentle hand along his back, trying to get him to calm down and nodded to Sam.

Sam took over for Castiel and pinned the demon down and fixed him with a glare. “Where is the angel being kept?”

“There’s an abandoned hospital. I’m sure you’ve heard of it. Letchworth Village. He’s being kept there!” The demon squeaked out. “Human’s aren’t allowed in the area and the ghost stories keep them out.”

“And he’s alive right?” Sam asked.

The demon nodded. “He was the last time I saw him. My Master is torturing him.”

Castiel went ballistic and charged at the demon only to have Dean stop him but it didn’t stop the words that fell from the angry angel’s lips. “IF YOU LAID A FINGER ON MY BROTHER I WILL END YOU!”

“Calm down Cas!” Dean said. “We can save your brother okay?”

Castiel didn’t seem to hear his boyfriend. “How did you capture him?! What underhanded tactics did you use?! Holy fire?! Poison?! Answer me!”

“I don’t know!” The demon said. “I wasn’t there when they grabbed him. I was brought in after for guard duty.”

“And torture!”

The demon looked horrified. “NO! I swear to you that I never touched the archangel!” 

That brought both Sam and Dean to a screeching half as their brains registered what the demon had said. They both turned to look at the blade that was in Dean’s hand before Dean quickly sat it down on the crate next to him. Castiel’s eyes refused to leave the demon and if looks could kill, the demon would have been dead and buried.

“Cas…Which archangel are we talking about?” Sam asked.

Castiel was about to answer when Dean suddenly snapped. He grabbed the demon and pulled him into the better lit area of the warehouse. Dean was glaring at him and Sam was confused as to what caused his brother to snap just like his mate had. 

“So not only did you take his blade but you took his jacket too?!” Dean snapped making the demon try to stutter out an excuse. “You are definitely a special kind of lowlife aren’t you? What else did you take from him huh?” 

Sam took a moment to look over the demon. Instead of the rather well dressed demons they were used to fighting, this one was in a pair of worn jeans and weaning a t-shirt. Over that t-shirt, however, was a well worn grey-green jacket that looked very familiar and was about three sizes too small for the one wearing it. Sam felt his heart stutter in his chest before he saw red. He jumped at the demon and ripped him from Dean’s grasp, grabbing the demon by the jacket before yanking it off him.

The demon let out a terrified squeak and tried to make a run for it but Castiel was faster. The seraph flipped his blade around and flung it, catching the demon in the back. There was the tell tale orange burnout of demonic power and the body fell to the floor. Castiel retrieved his blade and cleaned it off before replacing it into the sleeve of his trench coat. Sam clutched the jacket close and stared at the body before turning back at Dean’s question. 

“Do you think he was telling the truth?” Dean asked.

“I am unsure. But the blade and jacket both belong to him. His grace is tied to his blade and there are traces of it all over his jacket.” Castiel said, picking up the shining angel blade that belonged to his older brother. “I see no reason for him to lie.”

“We should head back to the bunker. We need to regroup and come up with a plan. Find out everything we can about Letchworth Village.” Dean said. “Then ask around and see if anyone knows anything. I don’t want to fly into this blind. It takes a strong demon to capture an archangel. The last thing we need is to end up right beside him or worse.”

Sam was silent for a while before speaking. “Dean… That demon said he was being tortured. Can we really afford to go back to the bunker now? I mean…New York is the opposite way. We’ll lose time going back.”

“I know Sam.” Dean said. “But we have no idea what we’ll be walking into. I would rather go back and get every weapon we have and be overcompensating then to go in there and get our asses handed to us while trying to save him.”

“My brother is strong.” Castiel said. “He’s also smart. He was called Heaven’s Tactician for a good reason. He could run circles around the best laid plans and outthink even Michael. I have no doubt in my mind that he gave up both his jacket and blade in the hopes that they would make their way to us so we would know that he was alive and suffering.”

Sam raised the jacket to his chest and held it there for a minute. “Are you sure he’ll be okay Cas? We don’t know how long he’s been held or even what kind of shape he could be in. He could be dying for all we know.”

Castiel let out a sigh. “I know you love him Sam and I know you are worried but Dean is right. We can’t go into this under prepared. It would do more harm then good.”

“I’ve got an idea.” Dean said. “On the ride back to the bunker why don’t you make a few calls? You can see if there are any hunters out that way. I’m sure there might be a couple. You can ask them to scout the area and see if they notice anything until we can get back out there.”

“I also have a few friends left in heaven.” Castiel said. “I can go see if any of them have heard any rumors about demon encampments that they know about. It might bring us a bit more intel then what we have.”

Dean nodded and took the blade from his mate so it wouldn’t be detected on him. “Go do it Cas. Make sure that you’re discreet and then meet us back at the bunker as soon as you can.”  
Castiel nodded and rushed out to his own car to head to the entrance to heaven, leaving with a parting clasping of hands with his mate. Dean sighed and put the blade in his coat and put a hand on his brother’s shoulder. Sam was still clutching the jacket to his chest like a lifeline. Dean gave his brother a little nudge and Sam started walking, heading out the warehouse. 

Outside Dean guided his brother into the Impala and pulled Sam’s cell phone out and pressed it into his hand. Sam used one hand to keep a tight hold on the jacket in his hand and the other he used to start dialing. Dean smiled at seeing his brother finally start to react again. He knew just how much it would mean to his younger brother to have his angel back and at this point Dean would do whatever it took to see his younger brother smile even if it meant bringing back the feathered asshole. If nothing else, the bunker and their family could always use another member and Dean couldn’t think of a better angel then Gabriel.

 

The darkness swirled around the body that was strapped into the dentist style chair, brushing over his bare, broken legs, running up his unclad, heavily injured torso and caressing his heavily bruised neck. A sobbing whimper escaped from the bound body as it struggled in its confines. There was the sound of dark laughter and the body struggled more. The screen in front of them showed the taillights of the black Impala driving away and into the night.

“Looks like my plan worked. They know I have you now.”

There was a strange, almost broken noise from the bound body making the shadows rush to caress him. “Don’t be like that… After all… I’m doing this for you. You should be thanking me. I’m going to give you what your heart desires.”

Terrified and horrorstruck gold eyes went wide and more broken noises left the body with a frantic movement as the person tried to shake their head, the rough leather keeping him completely immobile. 

There was another chuckle. “Looks like soon the Winchester brothers will be here and once they are, then I’ll kill them. They are the only ones standing in my way of taking over this disgusting piece of rock but its better then nothing. Just think of the chaos! It’ll be a world in ruin and filled with desperate people looking from someone to guide them. That’s when I’ll step up to take the reigns and bring in the dawn of a new era and the rule of the Darken. And it’s all thanks to you. I never could have made it this far without you.”

There was a broken sob and weakened struggling against the bindings holding the body down making the shadows laugh once more.

“Come now. There is no need for tears. Your name shall live on forever. You’ll be praised for bringing about the destruction of this world.” The shadows said with a laugh. “Just think of the new title you’ll be given! Gabriel, the archangel who helped destroy the world!”

The laughter of the shadow drowned out Gabriel’s broken sobs as the tears ran down his face, mixing with his wounds and leaving trails of blood, running down his face. For the first time since he had been captured; Gabriel stopped hoping for someone to save him.


	2. Corruption

**_Chapter 2: Corruption_ **

 

“Holy shit this place is huge. I mean, just how are we supposed to know where the hell to look for a single archangel in all that mess?!” Dean asked, looking over his brother’s shoulder at the pictures they had found.

“It says here that Letchworth Village is over two thousand three hundred acres of land.” Sam said. “There are one hundred and thirty buildings but it seems like a lot of them got burnt down. Seems like arson. Looks like most of the main parts of the village managed to survive including what looks like the main administration building and one of the medical buildings.”

“This place had hospitals?” Jack asked curiously.

“More then just a hospital; this place was where they tested the first polio vaccine. It was also a ‘state institution for the segregation of the epileptic and feeble minded’ meaning that if you had epilepsy or some kind of mental disability that this is where they sent you.” The tall hunter explained. “Unfortunately while it looked perfect it really wasn’t, at least not after a while.”

“Did bad things happen there?” Jack asked.

Dean made a strange noise. “They experimented on young children. They don’t even know what kind of experiments happened because the building holding those records burned to the ground. They think it was also arson but had no proof.”

Sam scrolled down and made a face. “There were also confirmed reports of abuse and ever a few cases of rape. Abuse and neglect were commonplace because there wasn’t enough staff. There are even reports of staff abusing each other. This place sounds like it started out as a safe haven and slowly became a night mare.”

“Hey looked at this.” Jack said pointing to a section. “It says here that there is a graveyard located on site. Hundreds of people died there and it says that there aren’t any names on the graves, only numbers because that families didn’t want the names to be known. That’s really sad. How could they just let their loved ones be forgotten?”

“Beats me kid.” Dean said as his phone began to ring and he moved away to answer it. “Looks like that’s Garth. Hope he’s got more information for us then we found here.”

“Back then a mental illness was something to be ashamed of.” Sam explained gently. “Today there isn’t so much stigma about it. Back then it was a bad thing.”

“I could never be ashamed of you guys no matter what.” Jack said with a smile as he turned to Sam. “You guys are my family.”

“Okay! So Garth says the whole place stinks of demon. There’s a lot of foot traffic but he can’t get too close because of the patrols.” Dean said coming back over. “Looks like that the most intel we’re going to be able to get. We’re still flying mostly blind on this.”

Sam nodded and began packing away his laptop. “Guess we better start packing. The sooner we get there the better.”

“Whoa! We aren’t going anywhere just yet.” Dean said. “Cas said to stay here until he gets back. He said he was able to reach some of his contacts and he’ll have more news for us soon. I don’t want us to be jumping the gun this time.”

“Dean, Gabriel needs us!” Sam stressed. “You heard what that demon said. Gabriel is being tortured as we speak and we’re sitting here doing research!”

“I know okay?” The older hunter snapped back. “Believe me. I know. I want to save Gabriel just as much as you do but right now if we go in there half cocked and with guns blazing like we normally do it could end up with him hurt even worse or dead. If this demon has the power to catch an archangel and keep him contained then we’re going to need ever last bit of luck and information we can get to pull off this rescue.”

Sam seemed to calm himself and he thought it over before nodding. “You’re right Dean. I’m just worried about him I guess.”

“It’s more then worry and we both know it even if we don’t say it.” Dean said. “I understand Sammy. Believe me I do. If our roles were reversed and it was Cas that this asshole had then I know you’d be doing the same thing for me. Keeping me calm until we could find a way to save him.”

There was the sound of metal against metal and Jack jumped up. “Castiel is home!”

The nephilim jumped up and rushed to meet the seraph. Dean shook his head and followed the excited boy. Castiel came down the steps looking slightly perturbed. Sam shot his brother a look and Dean mirrored it. Clearly the angel had bad news for them and they were certain that this meant that things were going to get a lot worse.

Jack gave Castiel a hug but pulled back when he sensed that something was wrong with his father figure. “Castiel? Is something wrong?”

“Yeah. Don’t keep us waiting Cas. What happened when you went to Heaven? What did your contacts say?” Sam asked desperately.

“Nothing good I’m afraid.” The seraph said, his expression turning grim. “Naomi met me when I arrived in Heaven.”

Dean tensed. “What’d that bitch want? She didn’t touch you did she?”

“No. She asked if I came because I heard about what had happened. When she saw how confused I was I found out that we have a bigger problem then just Gabriel.” Castiel said. “Not to make light of my brother’s situation but I believe that they might be connected.”

“What might?” Jack asked.

“Back during the days of Amara there was another Rift that opened. Through it came a creature of darkness that was so twisted that the four archangels banded together, even with the in fighting that was going on at the time.”

“What’s the big deal about this dark creature and did it have a name?” Dean asked.

“I am unsure it’s true name but when it came it was twisted even further by the Darkness. Amara had several interactions with the creature.” The angel said. “Our name for it was Corruption because everything that it touched became tainted beyond saving. Michael ended up completely destroying the that two vessels that were used to contain the creature and after that its very essence was sealed away where it was hoped that it would never see the light of day again least it bring about the ruination of not just this world but every world in existence.”

There was a moment of silence as they all thought over the implications of what a creature of pure darkness could do. After a few minutes Jack began to look confused as if something was missing. He turned to look back at the older angel.

“So what does this have to do with Gabriel?” Jack asked.

“The vial containing the last remaining batch of Corruption has gone missing from Heaven.” Castiel said that grim expression returning. “That’s why Naomi thought I was there. She thought that I heard about the fact the vial was stolen. She believed that we had at least encountered a rumor pertaining to the fact that the worst creature that has ever walked the Earth could possibly be free once more.”

“So wait…Are you telling me that this Corruption is out there somewhere because someone stole it?” Dean snapped. “And that there’s a chance that they used it?!”

“Yes. However it seems that they managed to track the vial’s location but it disappeared behind some very powerful warding that even the power of Heaven can’t see past. They are unsure if it has been used yet or not.” Castiel said, holding out the paper that he had been given my Naomi. “They managed to follow it and it hasn’t moved since it stopped. Its location does not bode well for us.”

“Thiells?” Jack asked curiously before it seemed to click. “This is in Rockland County, New York. The same place where Letchworth Village is. Is that why you said it doesn’t bode well? Because both Gabriel and the Corruption are being held in the same place?”

“You think the same demon that took the Corruption took Gabriel?” Sam asked. “Why would he want both of them?”

“Worst case scenario is that the demon that stole the Corruption and used it on himself and then went after the first archangel he could find and in this case he found Gabriel.” The seraph said. 

“That bites. So did they say that they were going to get off their holy asses and help us?” The eldest hunter asked, looking completely pissed.

“No. There’s nothing they can do to help us other then give us their blessing.” Castiel said. “They’ve agreed to forgive any sins committed while we get back the Corruption.”

“Goodie. We’ve got thoughts and prayers on our side.” Dean said. “Look I want to keep as many people out of this as we possibly can so that means no calling mom unless it’s a absolute emergency. The less casualties we can get the better.”

“Agreed.” Sam said. “This fight is personal.”

“Okay. I’m going to call Garth back and tell him to do recon only. We should pack. The sooner we get there the better.” Dean said, pulling out his cell phone again.

“I wonder how long it’ll take to get there?” Jack wondered and he went to go pack. “I’ve never been to New York before.”

“It’ll take approximately twenty two hours and twelve minutes not counting rest stops and traffic.” Castiel said. “I just hope that it’s soon enough.”

“But isn’t my Uncle Gabriel a strong archangel like my dad?” Jack asked.

“Gabriel was the youngest of the archangels and that make him a little weaker but his power could easily stand up to Lucifer if he felt like it.” Castiel explained. “Gabriel was never one for fighting. He preferred tricks and illusions over fighting.”

Jack was starting to get excited. “I can’t wait to see him again. Do you think he’ll me and teach me some of his tricks?”

“We’ll see.” Castiel said as he followed the young nephilim out.

Sam watched him go and went to grab his laptop and put it in his bag. He heard Dean talking to Garth and as he did Sam watched the emotions on his brother’s face change. Grath must have been reporting something bad for Dean to have that disheartened look on his face. Sam pushed his feeling aside and grabbed his bag and rushed from the room to go pack.

Once in his room Sam began throwing his clothes in his bag as quickly as he could before grabbing his gun and knife. He was going to stop at nothing to get Gabriel back. Realizing that he had everything he would possibly need, he took a moment to calm his racing heart and try to settle his stomach. He couldn’t be sloppy on this job. 

Sitting down on his bed he opened the nightstand and reached inside and pulled out his journal. With a shaking hand he opened it to the second to last page and looked at the words written on the page just below the golden feather that was stuck to the page.. It had taken him a while to find this page but when he did it gave his heart hope.

_Sammich,_

_Thanks for bringing me back Sam. I know it’s not much but I am giving you one of my feathers as payment. Once you find this feather come see me and we’ll talk. I have a feeling that what I want to talk to you about will make you a very happy Moose._

_~G_

Sam sighed and ran his fingers over the downy soft feather. It wasn’t until Castiel had seen the feather that he realized what he had been given. Castiel had told him that angels and archangel only gave out their feather when they were showing interest in another being. In this case it meant that an angel was looking for a mate. After what happened with Gabriel vanishing after A-World Sam didn’t think he’d ever get the chance again.

There was a sharp knock and Dean came in. “Sammy? You ready to go? We’re waiting on you.”

Sam closed the journal and put it back in it’s proper place and grabbed his things. “What did Garth say?”

“That he thought he heard screams but that there was no way to know for sure without him getting closer.” Dean said. “Now come on. The sooner we get there the sooner we can save your angel.”

 

On the screen in front the them it showed the black ’67 Chevy Impala leaving the safety of the garage followed closely by the gold ’78 Lincoln Continental Mark V. The two cars pulled beside each other so that the occupants could talk before both cars took off into the night.

“Guess who is finally on their way to come and save you?” The scream that rang out echoed throughout the room followed by dark laughter. “Why do you keep fighting me? Isn’t easier if you just give into me? I can give you everything your heart desires. Your family whole and loving each other once more. No? What about the love of your life? I could give you him.”

Gold eyes glared in the silence following the statement from the shadows. There was a snarl and the shadow turned away and grabbed a fire poker. Gabriel let out a weak snort, showing that the new torture weapon didn’t scare him. The shadows turned and dipped the metal into a viscous fluid before bringing it up to Gabriel’s face and forced him to smell it, watching as those gold eyes went wide in fear.

“So since you’re being stubborn I figure we could try this.” The shadow said, lighting the fluid. “Let’s see exactly what type of pain this Holy Fire puts you in.”

The scream that came from the angel covered the sound of his flesh sizzling under the press of the fire covered iron to his skin but nothing could be mistaken for the scent of burning flesh that followed.


	3. What Happens at Letchworth

**_Chapter 3: What Happens at Letchworth_ **

Dean pulled up and parked in the abandoned parking lot. He wasn’t surprised to see that Castiel and Jack had made it there first but he was surprised to see an unfamiliar face standing next to Garth. Sam sent him a look and they both double checked their weapons before getting out. When they got out Garth waved them over where the man began shifting nervously.

“The Winchesters right?” The man asked once they were close enough.

“Yeah and you are?” Dean asked.

The man’s eyes flashed black before retuning to normal. Sam and Dean both raised their guns but Garth waved them off. The demon relaxed, seeing that he wasn’t going to be shot right away. Jack seemed more curious then anything while Castiel seemed pissed.

“Look… I’m not here to fight. I was brought topside to guard the place.” The demon said. “I was fine with guard duty. Hell, I was even fine hearing the angel scream but what’s happening now? Forget it. There was a reason that stuff was locked away and it was a good damn reason. It shouldn’t be used.”

Sam frowned. “So why are you here?”

“Because I want out and this seems like an easy out. They’re in the main hospital building in the boys group of housing. There’s a tunnel from the main administration building to the hospital where the angel is being kept.”

“Why can’t we just go straight into the hospital?” Jack asked.

“It’s warded. He’s expecting you. He knows you’re coming to save the angel. It’s all he’s talked about. I’d be very careful if I were you.” The demon said before pausing and looking at Jack. “One last bit of advice; he knows about you two and your angel. I don’t think he knows about the nephilim. Use that to your advantage.”

Just like that the demon was gone. Garth listened closely but shook his head confirming that the demon was indeed gone. Dean walked over and opened Baby’s trunk and began pulling out weapons and passing them out. He even gave Jack a pistol filled with the Winchester Special bullets. Once everyone was armed Dean turned to Garth.

“We got it from here Garth. Why don’t you head on home?” Dean said, his shotgun held tight in his hand.

“As much as I appreciate the thought Dean I’m going to stay right here.” The werewolf said. “Just in case. If something goes wrong then consider me backup.”

Sam nodded. “Thanks Garth. I know you’re taking a big risk for us.”

“Anything for family.” The thin young man said with a smile.

Sam turned and nodded to the others. Dean nodded and began leading the group towards the dilapidated buildings. The two humans were tense as they slowly made their way inside. The tunnels were easy enough to find even if they were in crappy condition. After a short walk they found themselves coming to a doorway that led into the hospital.

Dean paused and turned to the others. “Okay. Now Sam, Cas and I are going to go in here. I want you to stay here Jack. You are our back up. We need you to stay here in case this doesn’t go according to plan. We’ll need you to save us. Understand?”

Jack nodded. “How will I know when you need me?”

“Funky town.” Dean said. “It’s a code word. Normally it means ‘someone has a gun on me’ but in this case you can turn the gun on this creep deal?”

Jack nodded. “Deal. I’ll be waiting.” He said, moving into a good hiding spot but in an area where he could still see.

Dean turned back and Sam pulled out his gun and Castiel pulled out his blade. The two hunters stood by the doors and slowly counted. On the count of three they kicked open the double doors. Castiel rushed in first taking out the first demon that rushed them while Sam and Dean laid down covering fire taking out the other two demons. As soon as the demon Castiel was fighting with hit the floor they looked around and realized that the room was clear.

“Clear?” Dean asked, his eyes still sweeping the room.

“Clear.” Came both Sam and Castiel’s voices.

Dean lowered his gun as Sam rushed over to the chair that held Gabriel. The angel was nude, and blindfolded and covered in various staged of healing wounds including what looked like burns. Sam pulled out a lock pick set and began trying to pick the locks of the padlocks on the inscribed chains while Castiel looked over the table with the bloody tools. Picking up a bowl he took a smell and nearly gagged.

“Holy oil.” He confirmed. “Whoever took my brother appears to have at least a basic understanding of angels. More specifically, he has knowledge on how to hurt us.”

“I learned from the best.” Came a deep voice before all three were thrown.

The demon smiled as he watched them struggle to their feet only to be yanked the to three support pillars holding up the room. Chains circled up their bodies, binding them in place before the click of a padlock signaled that they were stuck. The demon gave a joyful laugh at seeing the two hunters and angel struggle.

“This worked out far better then I could have imagined! I honestly didn’t believe my trap would work ad yet here you are!”

Dean glared. “What the hell did you want us for?!”

The demon laughed. “Simple. With you here nothing is going to stop me from completing my Master’s plan. And now that you’re here I get to see this one’s heart break!” He said turning to look at Gabriel.

“Leave him alone assbutt!” Castiel snapped.

The demon whirled. “My name is Vaya! I am a wind demon and I can kill you just as easily as the wind blows so mind your tongue, Castiel of Thursday!”

Sam blinked. “You know him Cas?”

“Yes. We met once before on the field of battle.” Castiel said. “He was sent back to hell by Gabriel after he nearly killed me.”

“So he’s not just another nameless black eyed freak?” Dean asked.

“No. But he also shouldn’t be strong enough to have captured Gabriel. Not by himself.” The seraph said.

Vaya laughed and held up a craved crystal vial that was decorated with silver and gemstones and filled with a blackness that was shifting. “But I didn’t. I managed to find help in my new Master. With Heaven weak it was easy enough to sneak in and get what I wanted. After that all I needed was one final thing.”

“Let me guess…You needed Gabriel for revenge.” Dean said, watching as the demon walked over to the bound archangel and wishing he was free. “You’re going to use your new powers on Gabriel aren’t you?”

Vaya nodded. “Something like that. But first I think I should wake him up don’t you? He passed out after the last session with the holy fire. Such a shame.”

The demon walked over and yanked the blindfold off. He slapped the archangel hard across the face enjoying the cries of protest behind him and the noise of pain from the body in front of him. He waited until those bleary gold eyes opened before he grabbed a handful of those dirty blonde strands and yanked his head up, forcing him to look at the three he had just captured.

“Look who came to visit Gabriel.” Vaya said gleefully, watching those gold eyes go wide with fear. “What’s wrong? Afraid that there will finally be a witness to your pain?”

The demon let go of Gabriel’s hair with a laugh. Those gold eyes took in the worried forms of his brother and the Winchesters before he collapsed back into the seat. Sam ran his eyes over the battered body and wondered just how long Gabriel had been here that it lead for him to be in this state. Vaya walked over to the table and grabbed a dagger from the table and turned to Gabriel and Sam suddenly had a sinking feeling.

“So Gabriel… Ready for your next hour of fun?” Vaya said, turned to watch as Gabriel frantically shook his head. “What’s that? I can’t hear you.”

Gabriel began fighting his binding weakly but it was clear that he was quickly out of energy. Vaya laughed and walked over and began to lower the blade. Dean called the demon a handful of insults while Castiel spit Enociah curses. Sam could only watch, his voice caught in his throat, as the demon began to cut into Gabriel’s exposed flesh.

Vaya watched in fascination, his eyes drawn to the archangel. He watched as the blade parted the pale skin of the blonde. Gabriel arched in his restraints, a horrible squeaking noise escaping his body. Castiel froze at the sound unsure what to make of it while Dean seemed confused. However Vaya began laughing at the sound.

“What the hell?!” Dean snapped.

“Oh that?” Vaya asked with a laugh. “A few days ago when he had his daily ‘session’ it seemed like his voice finally had enough even if his body hadn’t. All he can do now is squeak. The Messenger no longer has a voice. It’s as broken as his body.”

There was a howl from outside and Vaya let out a grown and he threw down his blade and stormed off spitting out muttering out something about a damn werewolf as he went. In the silence following there came the shaking breathing of Gabriel and the dripping of his blood onto the floor. Sam waited until he was sure the demon was gone before trying to get Gabriel to respond; he had to know if the angel was okay.

“Gabriel? Gabriel can you hear me?” Sam called.

There was a weak noise of complaint and those gold, pain-filled eyes opened, after a few moments, managed to focus on Sam. It made the hunter’s heart soar to see that, at the very least, Gabriel was able to respond to him. It was more then he hoped for given the blonde’s condition.

“Don’t worry Gabe. We’ll get you out of here okay? Can you use your Grace at all or are the chains keeping you in place too?” Sam asked.

Those gold eyes flashed blue and Dean’s gun, which he had dropped, gave a shudder and was suddenly in the hunter’s hand again. Dean gripped it and moved it behind him where it couldn’t be seen. As soon as Dean had the gun Gabriel made an odd noise and his eyes rolled and he collapsed in his restraints, the chair giving a squeak as he did. Sam was going to call out to the angel again but before he could Vaya came back in.

“You’re pet werewolf is starting to annoy me. Ever since he’s shown up he keeps upsetting my hellhound!” Vaya said in contempt before noticing Gabriel. “Passed out again? Such a shame. He’s getting weaker and weaker. Once I know he can’t fight back then my plan with fall into place and then it’ll be bye-bye Gabriel.”

“So what? You kill Gabriel and then you take over the world?” Dean asked.

“Who said I was going to kill him?” Vaya asked. “I’ve got something far better in mind.”

“So then what’s your plan here in funky town?” Dean asked. “You know others will come after us.”

“It’s doesn’t matter. I’ve won!” Vaya declared triumphantly. 

“No you haven’t.” 

Vaya’s eyes went wide at the new voice and the press of metal against the back of his head. The demon didn’t even have time to blink before the bang rang out and the dead body crumpled to the floor. Jack stood there, a smile on his face as he looked at his adoptive fathers. Castiel was smiling back and Dean was beaming with pride. Sam, however, was trying to get out of his chains to get to Gabriel. Luckily enough the chains began fall off.

Sam rushed over and began pulling the chains off the archangel’s battered body. Sam wouldn’t admit how scared he was at seeing the wounds covering the archangel’s body. Looking over he finally figured out the best way to picked up Gabriel and he did so carefully. Sam was horrified by just how light the angel was but the worst was how cold he was.

“Cas! He’s cold!” Sam said.

Castiel rushed over and pressed a hand to Gabriel’s brow. “His Grace is depleted. He’s running low. He probably used the last of his strength to give Dean his gun. We need to get him someplace safe and warm.”

Dean nodded. “Back to the bunker. No stops this time. Gabriel is our first priority.”

“Guys?” Came Jack’s worried voice. “We have a problem.”

The three turned to look at the Nephilim and ended up staring. In the young man’s hands was the vial that was used for the Corruption. The lid that was once tightly corked and covered in clear wax was now off, leaving the carved crystal completely empty. The Corruption was free.


	4. Corruptions Name

**_Chapter 4: Corruption's Name_ **

“How is he?” Dean asked, looking up as Castiel came into the library looking tired.

After leaving Letchworth, it was decided that they would take the same cars and that Sam would ride in the back of Baby with the archangel. It was good thing too. Halfway into the trip Gabriel began burning with fever. Naturally, Dean’s response to the news was to slam on the break in the middle of the road to check for himself, which made Sam yell at him. 

Pulling off to the side of the road at the next gas station Castiel had looked the archangel over. It was relieving to know that Gabriel was fine and the fever was nothing more then the archangel’s body was merely reacting like a normal human one since his Grace was so low. That led to a switch of passengers with Jack riding with Dean and Sam and Gabriel going with Castiel so the seraph could keep a better eye on his older brother. 

“Resting. I left Jack with him to keep an eye on Gabriel for a few hours just in case the fever goes up again. After his spike of fever in the car he seems to be doing better.” Castiel said. “His Grace, now that he’s out of danger, is recovering and healing his wounds. He should wake in a few days.”

“A few days?” Sam asked. “It’ll take that long for him to heal? I thought he healed faster then you did.”

“His Grace was severely depleted and his injuries were grave.” The seraph said. “It was amazing that he was even able to function as well as he was when we found him. We are very lucky to have him in one piece.”

Sam turned back to book in front of him, the remains of the vial sitting on a piece of black velvet in front of them. “Well we can’t find anything about the Corruption but we did find this. It’s the name of a Greek being; a primordial deity. It was marked all over the crystal. Carved in it actually.”

“What name?” Castiel asked, looking curious.

“It seems to be Erebos; the personification of darkness. It says here that he is one of the first five beings in existence.” Sam said. “I just don’t know why his name would be all over this vial. I thought you said it was Corruption.”

“It is.” Castiel said. “He was brought here during the First War and battle with Amara. It is to be expected that something like that would be well known, even by the earliest of man. I’m sure there are many other names that he’s goes by but I am not sure what his original name was. By the time Amara was done messing with him he was so tainted that we weren’t ever sure that there was anything left of the original being that he was.”

“So he was really messed up then?” Dean asked. “Like ‘Mark of Cain’ messed up?”

Castiel shook his head and looked grim. “Worse. He willingly let her envelop him. I was told that it was like giving into the Mark tenfold.”

“Yikes. What happened after that?” Dean asked.

“I am unsure. I didn’t even exist when these events happened. Even the oldest seraph wasn’t created during this time so I would be hard pressed to find that information.” The seraph said with a shrug. “At that time the only ones fighting were the archangels. They would be the ones who would have that information.”

“So in other words we need to wait for Gabriel to wake up.” Dean said, throwing down his pen. “That’s just great.”

“Have you finished with the vial?” Castiel asked. “I should really inform Heaven of what has occurred and that the Corruption is free.”

“How about you hold off on that until we know something for certain.” Dean said. “It’s in the best interest of everyone right now. We don’t even know where that stuff escaped to! For all we know whatever was in the vial might not have even been the real stuff! I mean it’s not like we had much of a chance to test it before that demon decided that we looked better in chains.”

“I think you’re missing the point Dean.” Sam said suddenly. “That demon, Vaya, said that he had something other in mind for Gabriel. That he wasn’t going to use the Corruption for himself and had something better in mind. Maybe he was trying to find it a perfect vessel.”

“Maybe that’s what the trap was for.” Castiel said. “He was mostly likely planning to use either yourself or Dean as the new host for the Corruption. It would seem the obvious choice considering that you both are the vessels for the First and Second Born archangels. Your bodies could probably withstand most angel’s power.”

“Is that even possible? Can it have a human host?” Dean asked. “Not one to spilt hairs here but that stuff looked toxic.”

“Again I am unsure. I do know that one of the last hosts that were used was actually a seraph much like myself. The Corruption overpowered that angel and Michael was forced to kill him. It was shortly after that when the war ended and the Corruption was contained along with Amara.” Castiel explained. 

“And the first host?” Dean asked, looking worried.

“The first host was himself. He came into this world intact. It was only after the battle that we realized that he had survived. The second host was his own body reborn. The following two were angel hosts.” Castiel said. “It was a hard battle from what I understand. Michael nearly lost his life twice fighting the Corruption. I was told that it was what strengthened Gabriel’s resolve to become a healer.”

“He became the Archangel of Healing because he wanted to save Michael?” Sam asked in disbelief. “I didn’t know that.”

“Gabriel was always the most outspoken about the fighting between us. He believed that we should love each other as brothers and no be divided. It made him a bit of an outcast because of his refusal to take sides.” Castiel said. “I think his refusal was one of the reasons why our Father loved him so much.”

“Good for us.” Dean said. “Well…I don’t know about you two but I think I’m going to head to bed. We can do more of this in the morning. Maybe by then the feathered asshole with be up and about and ready to start yapping.”

Sam watched as his brother marked his place in the book and stood and walked out, turning towards the kitchen, no doubt for a snack before bed. The hunter couldn’t help but hide his smile as Castiel waited a few moments before getting up and following the hunter out. Shaking his head Sam turned back to his books; it was going to be a long night.

 

“Are you sure you don’t need anything else Uncle Gabriel?” Jack asked. 

“I’m fine kiddo.” Gabriel reassured, still looking a bit battered.

It had taken almost four days for Gabriel to wake up and when it did the archangel had been so confused he almost attacked them. It had been thanks to Castiel and Jack that the brothers hadn’t ended up as a pile of goo. After he realized he was safe, followed by much need bath and some food, Gabriel was a much happier archangel. 

Still Sam felt like something wasn’t right with the archangel. While the blonde played it off as nothing the younger hunter was sure that something else had happened before they got there. The problem was that Gabriel refused to talk about it.

“So how are you back?” Sam asked, trying to get him to opened up even a little bit.

“Wasn’t really gone Kiddo.” Gabriel said before taking a sip of his tea. “I was planning on laying low until my Grace recovered a bit more and then coming back to help you guys but when I got back I didn’t land in the right spot.”

“Where did you land?” Jack asked.

“Smack dab in the middle of Hell. It was like being stuck with Asmodeus all over again.” The blonde said. “Not fun except this time I wasn’t being drained. Vaya had some twisted ideas.”

“Do you know what he was planning?” Castiel asked.

Gabriel looked confused. “Actually most of the time he was either too busy torturing me or rambling about just how wrongly I had treated him when we last met. He also seemed more then certain that his ‘Master’ was going to give me my comeuppance. I think that he mainly liked the sound of his own voice more then anything. Guy would not shut up.”

Dean snorted. “Sounds like a blonde archangel I know.”

Gabriel smirked. “Lucifer does love to talk.”

“Gabriel?” Sam asked. “What can you tell us about the Corruption?”

Those gold eyes blinked. “He’s a creature from another world and he’s called a Darken. He’s a creature of pure Darkness made even worse by Amara’s influence. He nearly killed Michael twice during the battle to lock him away.”

“It is as I said before.” Castiel said. 

“So why are you guys asking about that?” Gabriel asked. “It’s been sealed away since before the Civil War.”

“Vaya freed it.” Dean said holding out the velvet containing the shards of the vial. “He did it while we were saving you. We don’t know where it’s at or what it’s inhabiting.”

Gabriel looked like he was going to be ill. He went to take another drink of his tea and when he did his hand was shaking badly. Dean, realizing that bad news was going to be coming, passed Jack the velvet and asked him to take it downstairs and lock it in the archives. Jack nodded and left without a word.

“Okay spill.” Dean said. “Why do you look like we just passed out a death sentence?”

“The Darken that came here. His name was Eberos.” Gabriel said. “I treated his wounds when he was first dragged here before he ran off to Amara. It wasn’t until after he was destroyed the second time that we realized that in order to exist here again, he needed a vessel.”

“We thought as much. We figured that was why he captured us.” Sam said. “To make one of us a vessel for the Corruption. I know I would in his shoes.”

“He needs an angel already in a vessel or else the vessel will quickly break down forcing Eberos to need a new one.” Gabriel said. “He threatened before he was locked away that someday he was going to come back with a better vessel. An archangel one.”

“So this Eberos guy needs to posses an archangel.” Dean said grimmly. “Which makes you numero uno on his ‘must have’ list.”

“There’s also Michael and Lucifer!” Gabriel protested, even though it looked like he knew he was grasping at straws..

“They are locked in the Cage.” Castiel reminded.

“That doesn’t mean anything!” The blonde protested, looking even more dejected.

“Gabriel he’s already gotten you once.” Sam said. “I know that staying in one place isn’t your thing but all we’re asking is that you stay here at the bunker with us until we can find a way to stop him. You’re safer with us.”

Gabriel was silent before nodding. “Fine. But just until this thing blows over. I don’t really want to get in the way of your happy family here.”

“So you’ll help us gank this mother?” Dean asked. “Seems fair since you missed the last battle that happened.”

“Looks like I don’t have a choice do I?” Gabriel said. “It’s either I help you or I end up as a meat suit for some dark entity hell bent on turning everyone into slaves. That was his plan last time he was active here on Earth anyway.”

“It could be worse.” Castiel said. “You were lucky that we found you in time or else you’d already be Eberos’s vessel.”

Gabriel sent his brother a bitch face. “Yeah. I’m simply jumping for joy that you saved me. Can’t you see how ecstatic I am?” 

“And on that note I’m going to bed.” Dean said. “Cas did you want to borrow that book I told you about?”

The angel nodded and was quick to follow the older hunter out leaving the youngest archangel and hunter alone. Sam turned to watch Gabriel carefully; something didn’t feel right. Ever since they had rescued him the angel had been tense and on guard and it seemed as if he was slow to respond to questions about things they had done in the past. Maybe Gabriel wasn’t as okay as they thought.

“Gabe? Are you sure you’re okay? I mean… He was torturing you to try to make you into his vessel.” Sam said. “Maybe you should get some rest. I know you don’t need sleep but you should at least try. Not to mention that you’re still recovering.”

The archangel heaved a sigh. “You’re right Sam. I should rest and try to recover my Grace. Can you get a room ready for me? Please?”

Sam smiled and nodded, turning to leave. As he walked out he missed the change in the archangel. His gold eyes turned completely black before the iris burned red hot with his Grace. The angel smirked watching the hunter before he stretched.

“Thanks so much Sammich.” Came the dark sounding voice. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure Gabriel is well rested. I can’t have my vessel damaged now can I?”


	5. Gut Feelings

**_Chapter 5: Gut Feelings_ **

Sam watched as Gabriel talked to Jack, seemingly enjoying himself. It took everything in his power not to glare at the two as Gabriel showed Jack how to do something with his Grace. He wasn’t sure why but the alarm bells in his mind had been going off since the night they talked and found out what the Corruption truly was. That had been nearly a month ago and since then Sam couldn’t shake this feeling that something was wrong.

A cup of hot coffee blocked his gaze and Sam blinked before taking it, looking up at the man who had given it to him. “Thanks Bobby.”

“You’re welcome.” The older hunter said. “I figured you could stare at your coffee instead of your angel over there.”

“I wasn’t staring at him.” Sam said hastily.

“You’re right.” Bobby confirmed. “Glaring was more like it. From what I understand you have some strong feelings for the little blonde archangel don’t you?”

Sam flushed and looked down at his coffee making Bobby chuckle.

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of boy.” The hunter said. “Love is a beautiful thing. Seize it while you have the chance.”

“Bobby it’s not that.” Sam said. “Don’t get me wrong. I’ve been waiting a long time to confess my feelings to Gabriel. Truth be told, I think he feels the same way about me. It’s just that…Ever since we got him back, something hasn’t felt right.”

That had the older man glancing over at the two blonde’s before turning back to the young man. “How hasn’t it felt right? Do you think the demon did something else to him? Something that you can’t see? Like a spell?”

“I don’t know.” Sam admitted. “I mean…He looks like Gabe and acts like Gabe but something’s missing…”

“You know him best right?” Bobby asked. “You took care of him after he got hurt right? Ketch told me how he found him.”

“Yeah. Covered in blood and dirt with his lips stitched shut and terrified of everyone and everything.” Sam confirmed. “This is… It’s different. Something about his isn’t the same. When I talk to him it’s like he’s struggling to remember the things we’ve done or talked about. I even tried to bring up the fact he left me a feather and he seemed really confused about it. Cas says that a feather isn’t something that an angel just gives away.”

The older man eyed the two blonde’s again for a bit longer this time before turning back to Sam. “How sure are you about this?”

“Our you told me to always trust your gut.” Sam said. “Right now my gut is telling me that something is wrong with Gabriel. I just don’t know what.”

“You want my advice Kid?” Bobby said. “Get him alone and try to talk to him. Record the whole thing and you and I will sit down and watch it together. Deal?”

Sam looked a bit choked up. “You’d do that for me?”

“I do it for family.” Bobby said before Mary joined them.

“Hey Sam. How’s it going?” Mary asked.

“Fine Mom. Just working through some stuff with Bobby.” Sam said. “I need to go set something up. We can talk later okay Mom?” 

Mary watched her youngest son jump up and leave the room in a hurry before looking at Bobby. “Was it something I said or did?”

“No. Sam thinks something is wrong with his angel boyfriend.” Bobby said. “Ever since they saved him he’s been worried.”

“Can’t say I blame him.” Mary admitted looking over at Gabriel, who was writing something down for Jack. “I mean I only met him once but when I went to go talk to him this time to apologize for the way I treated him in your world… He just kinda gave me this blank looked before he seemed to recognize me but even then it seemed almost fake. Like he didn’t really know who I was.”

“Well Sam is intending to find out exactly what’s wrong with him.” Bobby said. “In the mean time I’m going to dig through some of my things I brought just in case. I have a nice pair of really rare enchanted bands called ‘Sigil Cuffs’ that can hold even an archangel. Never got the chance to test that.”

“That sounds like a good idea Bobby.” Mary said. “I think we should get them and have them ready just in case.”

Bobby nodded and looked back over at the blonde archangel. Just by watching him it was easy for the hunter to see what Sam was talking about. When Gabriel was asked questions it took him a few moments to respond. Even when he was called out on it the archangel was brushing it off as him still recovering from his ordeal. The more he watched the more certain he was that Sam was onto something.

Sitting his coffee down Bobby stood and walked over to Gabriel, drawing a curious look from Mary. “So you’re the archangel that Sam’s been going on about. Robert Singer. Pleasure to meet you.”

Gabriel looked at him for a minute. “We’ve met before haven’t we?”

“I came from the other world. I was with the group that crossed over.” Bobby said, watching the confusion swirl in his eyes before the recognition seemed to appear.

“Oh yeah. I remember now. You were one of the Resistance leaders over there right? Against Michael?” The archangel asked.

“That’s me.” Bobby confirmed. “Sam said you’d been through some serious stuff so I wanted to check and see how you’re doing.”

“I’m getting better but I’m still feeling a bit weak so it’s making some things blur together.” Gabriel said. “I mean… I almost attacked everyone when I first woke up. I’m slowly getting better though. It’s just taking a lot longer then I thought it would.”

“Should you be up to teaching Jack so soon then?” Bobby asked.

“I’m only teaching him small things. It’s for him to practice so that he can learn to better control his power.” Gabriel explained. “Its basic things that all newborn archangels were taught.”

“But the kid isn’t a full archangel.” Bobby pointed out. “He’s half human.”

“Hence why I am giving him small things to do first. It means I can test his powers and not have to worry about him destroying half the continental United States.” Gabriel said. “That would not be fun for any of us.”

Bobby nodded and was silent for several moments. “So you and Sam… You two are knocking boots then?”

Those gold eyes grew confused again. “Who said that?”

“I was talking to Sam. He said he missed you.” Bobby said.

Gabriel seemed to think about it for a minute before nodding. “Yeah we were. Is that going to be a problem?”

“Not at all.” Bobby said. “You love who you love. I should be getting back to Mary. We were talking about going out for another hunt. Maybe we can talk some more after we get back. I would kill for a chance to learn more about an archangel.”

“Sounds like a date then.” Gabriel said with a smile. “I don’t mind spilling a few secrets now that I know no one else is going to kill me any time soon.”

Bobby nodded and walked away, listening as Gabriel went back to teaching Jack. Going back over to Mary he sat down and drank his coffee before motioning for Mary to come with him. Together they headed down to Sam’s room. Bobby knocked and the door was opened by a confused Sam. 

“Hey Bobby. Mom. What’s up?” Sam asked. “I set up two cameras to cover my room for when I talk to Gabriel.”

“Good job.” Bobby said as he came in a check the position of the cameras. “While you were doing that I went and talked to your angel. I might have put out the impression that the two of you were together before now. He agreed with me. I think we should use that to our advantage when you meet with him.”

Sam nodded. “So what’s the plan?”

 

Gabriel stood before the mirror and double checked himself over. He wanted to make sure he made a good impression on the hunter. Truthfully he knew why he was being called there. The taller hunter had suspicions that he wasn’t himself and he knew he had to do everything in his power to make sure that the hunter believed him to be fine. That last thing he needed was for his cover to be blown before he managed to complete his plan. 

The mirror suddenly blurred before him revealing a different reflection. His right eye was blackened and swollen shut. His skin was pale and slightly blood splattered. His lip was spilt and swollen. He looked like he had been on the losing end of a fight. Gabriel couldn’t stop the snarl that escaped his lips as he took in the one defiant golden eye he could see.

^Erberos…^ Came the shaking, yet angry voice from the mirror.

Erberos, as he was known, glared at his stolen reflection in the mirror, taking in the battered version of his vessel that he could have sworn that he had finally repressed to the deepest and darkest depths of their shared mind. “Why the fuck are you still fighting me? Isn’t it clear that I’ve already won?”

^They know.^ Came the weak reply.

Erberos laughed at his pitiful reflection. “No they don’t. The only one who suspects anything is wrong is that freakishly tall hunter of yours. Now why don’t you be a good vessel and tell me what I need to know so that I can make him trust me or else am I going to have to hurt you again? In your current condition I don’t think you’d last very long at all would you?”

^Never…^ Gabriel said, even though his voice was getting weaker. ^I would rather die then let you hurt my Sam.^

“If you’re dead then who will stop me from gutting your dear Sam like a fish?” Erberos asked with a smirk. “Then again…I am getting hungry. It’s been a few millennia since I’ve had anything to eat. He looks like he’d make a lovely meal for me. I bet his heart would be so tender and his blood would be a fine wine that I could drink for—FUCK!”

Erberos looked down at the bite mark on the heel of his hand. The wound was deep enough that you could see each individual tooth mark before blood began dripping from the wound. The Darken then looked up to Gabriel, who was just spitting out a mouthful of blood, having bit into his own hand to stop the dark creature from threatening the hunter and it made the annoyance rise up in him like the tide. 

“You’re a spiteful little bastard aren’t you? You’ll do anything to protect the ones you love am I right? That’s why you ended up here isn’t it Gabriel?” Erberos asked, healing his hand. “Just remember… You’re the one who will ultimately decide whether or not those humans and their pet seraph and half-breed will live. The more give to me to use against them the better off they’ll survive.”

^Yeah right. I agree to talk and you’ll do to them exactly what you did to me.^ Gabriel spat. ^I’m not stupid. I’m going to keep fighting you as long as I have the strength to do so.^

“I thought you didn’t like fighting.” The Darken taunted.

Gabriel’s glare grew. ^For them? I’ll fight.^

“And for them you’ll die once more.” Erberos said before he stabbed his archangel blade into the mirror.

The Darken watched it shatter into pieces before putting it back together with a touch of Grace. As the glass broke he could feel the archangel fighting against him before he fell silent, trapped in the back of their mind once more. Smiling, he finished checking his reflection like he had been before he had been so rudely interrupted. He needed to win Sam over and this was his chance. Happy that he looked the part of the archangel he inhabited, Erberos left his room and headed down the hall to the wooden door labeled ‘21’.

Gabriel knocked on the door to Sam’s room, smiling as it was opened. “Heya Sammich. You wanted to see me?”

Sam gave him a small smile. “Yeah I did. Want to come in?”

“I’d love to.” Gabriel said.

Sam turned and went into the room, leaving Gabriel to follow, missing as his eyes flashed to black and his iris’ burned red as the archangel shut the door behind him.


	6. Midnight Meetings

**_Chapter 6: Midnight Meetings_ **

Sam moved further into his room, hearing Gabriel’s footsteps behind him. He turned and motioned to the chair next to the bed. Gabriel smiled and moved to the seat while Sam himself took a seat on the bed. The hunter had chosen this setup because of where he had placed the cameras in his room to record Gabriel’s reactions. He leaned over and opened his bedside table drawer and pulled out a bag of Gabriel’s favorite candy and offered him some.

“Candy?” Sam asked with a smile.

There was a barely there hesitation before the blonde smiled. “Trying to seduce me Sam? I normally demand dinner first.”

“I know how much you love candy.” The hunter said with a smile. “Figured that I could start there and possibly work my way up to dinner if that’s okay with you. I mean it’s not like I’ve seen you eat much besides candy. Come to think about it… What is your favorite non-candy food? You never did tell me.”

“Steak, medium rare.” Came the answer after a brief pause. “I won’t say no to really good pasta either. I guess it just depends on my mood. Playing as a Pagan God means that I had to pretend to be fickle quite a bit so I tend to be like that naturally now.”

“Believe it or not I can cook a little bit.” Sam admitted with a slight blush. “Maybe I can make us dinner one night?”

Gabriel was silent for a minute before he smirked. “Wanting to pick up where we left off then Sam?”

“Well considering everything that’s happened between us Gabe, I would like to have that chance. With Lucifer gone and everything settling down now that the gate is shut with Michael on the other side, maybe we can get that. I know we won’t have what Dean and Cas have right off the bat but we could.” Sam said looking hopeful. “At least…I hope to have that with you if you still want to do this.”

As soon as Sam was done talking there was pure confusion in those gold eyes and the hunter jumped on the chance to test the archangel.

“What’s wrong? I thought you and Cas talked about that. Don’t tell me that you didn’t approve. That would break Castiel’s heart! He’s been wanting your blessing for ages Gabriel. Being the only archangel left you’re the only one who can give that to him.” Sam said softly. “I know it would mean the world to Dean too even if he won’t admit it.”

“I don’t—” 

“Unless you’re just against Castiel being pregnant.” Sam said. “You aren’t are you? Or is it because the child would be a nephilim like Jack?”

“No!” Came the quick response. “Not at all. It’s none of that, I promise. It just took a minute. I wasn’t sure if we were talking about the same thing. Castiel did ask but I wasn’t able to give him an answer with what happened in the cave and then going after the others.”

Sam nodded. “Well maybe now that you’re back you can give them an answer. Or I could tell them if you’d rather avoid all that awkwardness that we both know is going to happen. Cas tends to be a hugger now that he knows what a hug is.”

The look of relief on Gabriel’s face was almost overwhelming. “Yeah. I don’t do mushy stuff. I’ll leave that stuff to Cassie.”

“I thought that was my job.” The hunter said with a smile. “At least it was the last time we were in the same room. Then again things change all the time. You said it’s what you liked about me; the fact that I can change.”

“Humans do change. But I’m not really sure that I do like it.” Gabriel said. “Someday you’re going to gone and I’m going to still be here. The pain of being an immortal creature is that we tend to outlive everyone that matters to us.”

“I guess making me immortal would be out of the question then?” Sam asked seriously; he wanted an answer to the question even if it wasn’t really his Gabriel. “Is such a thing even possible for your level of power?”

The blonde shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe once my Grace is strong and stable again I can try to make it happen. I mean it’s not exactly like God himself is going to come down here and stop me right? He’s long gone and probably never coming back this time.”

Sam frowned. Gabriel had said ‘God’ when he knew from experience that, like the other angels, he normally referred to Chuck as his Father. The clues were adding up more and more that the person sitting before wasn’t who he claimed to be. Sure he looked like Gabriel, talked like Gabriel, even acted like him but there was something missing. It was almost as if his archangel was being possessed, much like the way Lucifer had possessed Castiel. Could there be a chance that they had been too late in saving Gabriel?

Sam shook his head and reached out and took Gabriel’s warm hand within his own, taking a risk of touching the archangel. “So now that we’ve talked I want to know exactly where we’re going to go from here Gabe, because I want there to be an us.”

Those gold eyes stared down at their hands with a flicker of something that was unreadable. “I guess it depends on where you’re looking to go Sammich. You know me though, I’m always up for anything.”

“Can there be an ‘us’ like there used to be?” Sam asked. “Because that is where I want us to go.”

There was a strange glint in those golden eyes and it made Sam frown, wondering what was going through the archangel’s mind. The hunter’s wonder lasted for two seconds before Sam found himself tackled to the bed, his arms pinned above his head. He had just a moment to figure out what happened before he was being furiously kissed. Gabriel pulled back and Sam stared up at him in shock, trying to figure out what had just happened.

Gabriel swooped in again and was kissing him hard, those strong hands letting go of his wrists to pull at his clothes. Sam couldn’t stop the moan that left him as those warm hands managed to unbutton his shirt and then pull his tank up and caress his nipples. As they were kissing Sam felt the button on his jeans pop open and panic flooded him.

He reached up and managed to shove Gabriel back a bit. The blonde took it as a sign and yanked Sam’s flannel clean off before Sam reached up and gave him a harder shove, almost breaking his hand in the process. He scrambled backward on the bed and managed to put some space between the two of them leaving Gabriel looking confused and just a little hurt.

“What the hell Gabriel?!” Sam asked, struggling to get his shirt pulled down and his pants button fixed.

“I thought you wanted there to be and ‘us’ again Sam.” Gabriel stated looking confused. “So that’s what I was trying to do.”

“The ‘us’ that we were, was us going slow.” Sam said, finally fixing his clothes. “I’ve never been with a guy before you and you said you’d take it slow for me!”

Gabriel suddenly looked ashamed. “Sam I… Forgive me? I was just missing you so much and was so happy to be with you again that… I shouldn’t have done that. I was just so desperate to be with you that I just forgot everything else.”

“I get that.” Sam said. “Believe me. I am just as desperate as you are to do more and have the kind of relationship that our brothers have but I just don’t think I’m ready for that yet Gabriel. I’ve never slept with a guy and us kissing is the farthest we’ve gotten.”

“I didn’t mean to upset you Sam.” The blonde said. “I don’t want to ruin what we have with my hormones.”

That made Sam chuckle a little. “Dean always said you seemed to think with your dick most of the time.”

“Yeah and your brother thinks with his or else he wouldn’t be soiling my little brother by sticking his dick in him.” Gabriel spat.

Sam frowned at the angry and bitter tone that escaped the smaller man. “Gabriel? What’s wrong now? You’re angry.”

The blonde made a frustrated noise. “Just a case of blue balls. Look Sam… It’s best I leave you for tonight.”

“So soon?” The hunter asked. “You only just got here.”

The snort that the blonde let out was dark sounding in nature and it made Sam give pause. He took in the tense body and the tightness of his jaw. It just took a minute for the taller man to realize that he was in danger. Something in Gabriel had snapped and there was no doubt in Sam’s mind that is he tried to touch the small angel right now that he could get hurt or worse.

“Gabe?” Sam called out to him.

“Look Sam…The mood I am in right now its best that I not be around you or else we won’t get that slow burn that you want us to have so bad. Comprende?” Gabriel said. “Last thing I need is for you to get hurt because of me because then I could see your brother hunting me down like a rabbit and beating me like a cheap rug. Not a pleasant thought or a pretty picture.”

“Dean wouldn’t hurt you.” Sam said. “Not when he know how much you mean to me.”

“Glad you think that but I beg to differ. Maybe we can finish this conversation another time.” Gabriel said as he stood and fixed his clothes.

The hunter frowned. “I was hoping that maybe you’d be willing to spend the night like me like you used to.”

“I said I’m leaving Sam.” The blonde snapped. “I need to go take care of the problem you’ve left me with so as I said, I’ll take a rain check. Goodnight Sam. I’ll see you in the morning at breakfast.”

“Can I at least get a kiss goodnight?” Sam asked a bit pitifully. “Please?”

The hesitation in the archangel was clear this time. The longer they sat there in silence the more Sam began to wonder if maybe he had pushed too far too fast. The last thing he wanted to do was to drive the archangel away from him so soon, even more so if something was truly wrong with him like Sam suspected. 

After what seemed like forever Gabriel let his shoulders slump in defeat. He slowly walked over to the bed and put one hand on the headboard and leaned in close. Gold eyes locked with green and Sam felt like his whole world had stopped. Gabriel leaned in and gently kissed him and Sam’s eyes slowly closed because in the kiss he felt the love and tenderness that had been absent so far from the archangel.

Gabriel suddenly pulled back and it left Sam reeling a little bit. The archangel smirked and kissed him again before pulling away leaving the hunter a little breathless on the bed. With that done the blonde turned and left the room with a wave thrown over his shoulder. There was a quiet snap and the door to his room was open and just like that the angel was gone.

Sam stood and walked over to the door and looked out into the hall, searching for any sign that the archangel was still around. Realizing that he was indeed alone Sam rushed back into the room shutting the door behind him. He knelt down and pulled his laptop from under the bed and hit the stop button on his laptop. Taking a minute to breathe he quickly saved the footage and burned two copies of the footage. 

Once both disks were safe in their cases he deleted what was saved on the computer. He took one disk and hid it under his bed where it would be safe. The other he picked up along with his laptop and started down the hall. He had to get this footage to Bobby so that they could look it over together. When he reached the older hunter’s room he gave a quite knock and the door was quickly answered.

“Sam? You okay? You look a bit ruffled.” Bobby said.

“Yeah. I’m fine. Just a bit shaken up.” Sam admitted. “I got the video though.”

Bobby ushered him in quickly. “And? What’s the verdict? Do you think it’s really him or were you overreacting?”

“I don’t think I am but I want you to take a look at it first just so I can make sure that I’m not jumping to conclusions.” Sam said as he began setting up his laptop and putting the disk in.

Bobby grabbed a second chair. “Alright son, let’s see what kind of dirt you got on that archangel of yours.”

 

Erberos grinned and he grabbed the man and slung him against the wall. The man screamed in fear and tried to fight him off, making the Darken’s blood pound in his veins. With a wicked smile and glowing black eyes he leaned in and ripped the man’s throat out with his teeth, moaning at the taste of fresh blood across his tongue. Pulling out his angel blade he quickly gutted the man to get what he was after; the still warm heart, liver, and kidneys of his victim.

He ate quickly and finished his meal with a smile. For the first time in a long time he had gotten to eat and he savored the feeling of a full stomach. Grinning he snapped and burned the body until there was nothing left but a pile of ashes and a second snap had him clean. Looking around he realized that there was a brother right across the street. He watched a man with long brown hair head inside before deciding that no one would be missing him just yet and ducking inside to go after the man who looked a bit like Sam.


	7. Trouble Brewing

**_Chapter 7: Trouble Brewing_ **

Jack held the ball of power in his hands carefully, under the watchful eye of Gabriel. Dean was staring as he watched Jack carefully let go with one hand. The nephilim hesitated to make sure that the power was stable before he began transferring the ball from hand to hand. Gabriel nodded and then held out his hand. Jack hesitated and carefully passed the ball to Gabriel. 

Gabriel smirked and tossed the ball casually from hand to hand before tossing it up in the air and catching it before holding it back out to Jack. The nephilim blinked, having been entranced by the show the older angel had put on before carefully taking the ball back. Gabriel smirked and nodded.

“See? It’s not that hard. You just need practice. You’re still young but this is things you should have already known. Castiel could have been teaching you but I can see why he didn’t. It’s risky with his level of Grace but now that I’m here I can teach you to better control and use you powers.” Gabriel said. “You can’t be afraid of yourself Jack because that how you end up destroying yourself.”

Jack nodded. “I think I understand now Uncle Gabriel. Now how do I get rid of the energy that I’ve summoned? I mean it doesn’t just dissolve does it? That much energy? Can’t that be dangerous?”

“The same way you summoned it. You drew the energy out now draw it back in.” The blonde coaxed. “It’s easy. Just go slow like I showed you. No, the energy doesn’t dissolve; it has to go somewhere, preferably back into you as you are the origin of that power. And yes that much energy can be dangerous, especially if left alone or dropped.”

Those blue eyes narrowed, turning back to the ball in his hands and soon the ball of energy began to get smaller and smaller until it fizzled out. Just as it vanished there were footsteps and in walked Castiel. Jack looked up intent on telling his father what he learned but the look on the seraph’s face was one of pure fury. He pulled Jack away from Gabriel and glared, making sure that he was firmly blocking Jack from the archangel.

“What is wrong with you Gabriel? Are you trying to kill half of North America?!” Castiel spit at the archangel. “You can’t play with lives like this!”

“Relax Cassie. I know what I’m doing!” Gabriel snapped back, looking both annoyed and frustrated at the younger angel.

“If Jack had just messed up earth could have been destroyed!” Castiel said. “When are you going to learn to try to take responsibility for yourself?! You are a grown archangel and, at the moment, the eldest angel that is free! You could at least act like the responsible older brother that you should be!”

Gabriel was silent, staring down at the angel and Dean jumped up, recognizing the glare on the blonde’s face from when they were trapped in tv land; Gabriel was pissed.

“Okay. Everyone hold your horses. Why are we getting so pissed off? All Gabriel was doing was teaching Jack how to use his powers.” Dean explained. “Which I think is a good thing because if Jack can better control his powers then we are all safer.”

“Which should only be done in a controlled environment!” Castiel snapped. “If Jack had messed up everyone could have been killed! There were more lives then just your own at stake and I don’t want to see anyone get hurt because of a stupid mistake!”

Gabriel snarled and summoned a large ball of power twice the size of Jack’s. Without any warning he let the ball fall to the ground. Dean went pale and suddenly found himself being held close to Castiel. There was a loud pop as the ball hit the ground and dissolved without doing anything other then a little flash. Castiel stared at the spot before looking up at his brother.

“Just because I was a slacker to my older brothers doesn’t mean shit Castiel.” Gabriel said, his voice cold as ice. “I would never willingly endanger the people who mean the most to me. The very first thing I did before I even started training Jack was to put down a null barrier. I remember just how dangerous it is to teach a growing angel how to use their power. I haven’t forgotten that you nearly lost your life learning to use yours. Don’t you ever mistake my laid back attitude for carelessness again. That’s a mistake that Asmodeus never made twice.”

With that the blonde stormed out of the room and towards his room. Castiel looked like a kicked puppy and Jack seemed upset. The silence that followed the archangel’s departure was both uncomfortable and shame filled.

“Father?” Jack asked quietly.

“I’m fine Jack. I just keep forgetting that Gabriel is not like the rest of Heaven and that he actually cares about humanity much like I do.” Castiel explained. “I just felt your power and the thought of what could happen if you messed up overrode my senses. I just didn’t want anyone to get hurt.”

“Seriously…The ball thingy could have destroyed North America?” Dean asked skeptically. “Because Jack’s was only the size of an orange and Gabriel had a grapefruit.”

Castiel looked disturbed. “Gabriel’s energy was powerful enough to level more then half the planet. I did not think him capable of being able to gather such power so soon, not after how low it has been after his constant draining by Asmodeus. He should still be far too weak for that level of strength.”

Dean looked to the door. “Maybe he’s eating his Wheaties.”

“I do not see what eating bran cereal has to do with anything Dean.” Castiel said. “I think something else is going on with Gabriel.”

“Not you too.” Mary said coming in with a tray with several coffees and a hot chocolate. “Sam said the same thing and him and Bobby have been talking about it since the other day.”

That had Dean sitting up straighter and when he spoke there was hint of disbelief in his voice. “Sam said he thought there was something wrong with Gabriel? We’re talking about the same guy? You know? Your youngest son? Tall, nerdy, looks like a princess and has the diva attitude to match?”

Mary shot her eldest a look. “Behave Dean. And yes Sam said it. I don’t know exactly what made Sam think something was wrong but it was enough that I know that he and Bobby talked about it for a while. Then Bobby talked to Gabriel and then went to Sam. I don’t know if they ever talked anymore about it but they seemed pretty intense about it.”

Dean was silent for a minute before he nodded. “Okay then. We’ll keep an eye on Feathers just in case. I know that if Sam is looking into this and hasn’t said anything yet then it means he hasn’t found anything worth telling us.”

“So what do we do?” Castiel asked.

“In the mean time we act like nothing’s wrong.” The older man said. “We let Gabriel keep teaching Jack and we keep hunting.”

Castiel frowned. “I don’t like this. Gabriel is an archangel. Even with Jack on our side he is still a force to contend with. Not to mention the years he spent living as a pagan god. He may have things at his disposal that we may not expect.”

“I don’t like it either but at least we have Jack and holy oil. That’s better then nothing Cas.” Dean said. “If we see anything that might seem odd, well odder I guess since this is Gabriel we’re talking about, then we make a note of it and when Sam finds something then we’ll compare notes and make a plan.”

“Agreed.” The seraph said taking one of the coffees that Marry offered him and Dean.

Jack rushed over to Mary. “Guess what? I’m learning to control my power better!”

“That’s good Jack!” She said giving him a hug. “I am so proud of you!”

 

“So this definitely isn’t like him?” Bobby asked as he and Sam watched the footage again for what seemed like the millionth time.

Sam stared at the screen as he watched the archangel shove him hard down on the bed. “He can be pushy Bobby but this is too much even for him. Angels are big on consent. Even for sex they are big on consent. This isn’t much but it proves that something is wrong. We weren’t even dating and he tired to jump straight into sex. The note he left me was him saying to come talk to him so we could start a relationship.”

The movie started playing again and Bobby suddenly leaned forward. “What the hell?”

“What?” Sam said started by the older hunter’s sudden exclamation, wondering if maybe they had finally fund something.

Bobby paused and backed up the footage and played it back. He leaned in close to the screen and stared before pulling back and doing it again. This time he slowly it down but he was still frowning. Shaking his head he pulled back and looked at Sam.

“Now I have no idea what to make of that.” Bobby said. “Check this out. It’s so quick that I almost missed it.”

“What?” Sam asked again, now feeling both excited and fearful.

“It looks like his eyes change for a brief minute but it happens so quick that it might just be a trick of the light.” The older hunter said. “This doesn’t mean we found anything since I don’t know what it is.”

Sam looked worried. “What? Like a shine? Like a cat’s eye reflecting the light? You think he could be a Shifter?”

“No. Not a Shifter. I’d recognize that.” Bobby admitted. “I’m not too sure what it is. If the frame rate was slower then I could give you a definite answer but the frames are too fast. Even slowing it down it’s still to fast.”

Bobby backed up the footage and ran it again. Sam watched carefully looking into those gold eyes that he loved so much. To his surprise and shock he watched those eyes change. It was a brief second when they turned black with a red center before they went right back into gold. Of course it had happened while his back was turned in the video so there was no doubt in his mind that the display had been intentional.

“It looks… Almost like he’s been possessed by a demon.” Sam said softly, barely believing the words that were coming out of his own mouth.

Booby looked incredulous. “Think about what you’re saying boy. This isn’t just some running of the mill human. This is an archangel. Him being possessed shouldn’t be possible.”

“I know Bobby.” Sam said. “Believe me. I know.”

“If he is possessed by a demon then what does that mean for us?” Bobby asked. “Are we going to have another Michael incident?”

“No. I have a feeling that Gabriel might still be in there somewhere.” Sam said. “We have to be careful how we do this. First I think we need more research. I think I have an idea of what’s happened but until we have more definite proof I don’t want to make a move. If we spook him then he’ll run and we really will have another Michael incident.”

“I don’t like the idea of sitting back and doing nothing.” Bobby said glaring at the monitor before leaning forward and hitting the print button. “Here. Your first solid piece of evidence that your archangel isn’t himself, you can start here. And, if I were you I go check the cameras for this place.”

Sam blinked and then realized exactly what Bobby was saying. There was always a chance that if Gabriel’s eyes had flashed once, then there was a chance that again. No doubt whoever was inside Gabriel, Erberos most likely, would no doubt be flexing his power like he had done when his back was turned. Egos seemed to come with bad guy territory. With a smile he leaned in and hugged Bobby, missing the shock on the older man’s face.

“Thanks Bobby! You’re the best.” Sam said, pulling back and grabbing his things. “I’ll head down to the console room and take a look at the footage of Gabriel for every time that he’s in one of the communal areas! There has to be something! I’ll let you know as soon as I find something Bobby!” 

Bobby watched as Sam rushed from the room with a smile on his face. “Whoever your Bobby was he must have been amazing to raise two kids like you and your brother. I only hope that I can try to be there for them now in your stead. I may have lost my son but something tells me that’s I’ve just gained two.”

 

“I don’t understand.” Lucifer said, looking at what was once the body of Michael, now nothing more then a smoking pile of ash. “Why save me?”

“Because something has happened. Something bad.” Said the stern voice.

“Worse then this?” Lucifer asked, cringing.

“Lucifer, the Corruption is free.”

Lucifer went pale and looked like he was going to be ill. “No… That can’t be. We sealed it in ice diamond! He can’t be free!”

“He is and it gets worse. He kept his promise. He has a vessel. He has Gabriel.” Came the tired sounding voice from the shadow’s tired frame.

That had the blonde freaking out. “What? How? Why?! How the fuck could you let this happen? Why do you enjoy seeing us suffer?!”

The figure glared. “Would you rather stand here and yell at me or do you want to help your younger brother?”

“And how do you plan on doing that?” Lucifer asked. “It took four archangels and divine help to seal him away. What hope do you have with just me?!”

“It won’t be just you because we’re getting help.” The shadow said before turning and opening a portal. “After I fix you.”


End file.
